Film Censorship Board of Malaysia
The Film Censorship Board of Malaysia is a Malaysian government ministry that vets films. It is under the control of the Home Ministry.
The Board was established under the Film Censorship Act, and its role was revised in 2002 under an updated version of the Act. Any film that is to be screened in Malaysia must be certified by the Board. Under the provisions of the Act, no one is allowed to view any film that has not been licensed by the Board.
The same Act also bans the possession and/or screening of pornography or provocative materials. Screening of such films in public even in good faith can subject the screener to fines/imprisonment.[1]
The Board watches the uncensored film or programme and decides whether its content is acceptable for a Malaysian audience. The film receives approval only after the Board is satisfied that the film (either without cuts or with cuts required by the Board) satisfies the rules under which the Board operates.
Any film passed with compulsory cuts must have the cuts made by the distributor before the film is released/screened. This is accomplished either by having the studio produce an edited version (in the case of digital or television screenings) or by physically removing the offending section on the film itself (resulting in a temporary A/V sync problem and the digital audio reverting to the analog stream for a while). Screening films with compulsory cuts in its unedited form can make the distributor and cinema operator or television station operator legally liable.[2][3]
Films banned by the Board include Daredevil, Homerun, The Prince of Egypt and Bruno, though some were passed for release on optical media.
Rating system
Since 1 April 2012, the following ratings have been used:
| Symbol | Description | TV screening time |
|---|---|---|
| U | General viewing for all ages | Anytime |
| P13 | Parental guidance is suggested for viewers under 13 | Not allowed between 6:00 to 10:00 AM (weekdays), 6:00 to 12:00 PM (weekends) |
| 18 | For aged 18 and above only | 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM |
These are the official logos for the ratings stated above:
Malaysian film classification logos
Films being censored or banned
Although nearly all the films below have been classified as 18 (equivalent to R in US), some films are subjected to censorship by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia due to content deemed inappropriate to the general Malaysian population. The list below shows some films censored since 2010 (though by no means this is a complete list).
| Year | Film name | Reason for censoring |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The American | Partially censored due to some sexual content in the film. |
| 2010 | The Stool Pigeon (2010 film) | Partially censored due to the moderate sex scenes in the film. |
| 2010 | Piranha 3D* | Heavily censored for 6 minutes due to the sexual content, nudity and frightening scenes. |
| 2010 | Skyline | Partially censored due to sex scene in the film. |
| 2010 | Unstoppable | Profanity censored in theatrical screenings to match PG-13 rating standard of Malaysia. Blu-ray release has its audio track intact. |
| 2011 | Burlesque | The film is rated PG13 in most countries but it is rated 18 in Malaysia due to the strict censorship. |
| 2011 | No Strings Attached | Heavily censored for 7 minutes due to sexual content and nudity. |
| 2011 | The Mechanic | Partially censored for 4 minutes due to some sexual and nudity content in the film. |
| 2011 | Drive Angry 3D* | Heavily censored due to the strong brutal violence and some sexual content. |
| 2011 | Black Swan | Partially censored due to the sexual and nudity content. |
| 2011 | All About Love | Partially censored due to the lesbian materials in the film. |
| 2011 | Scream 4 | Heavily censored due to the strong, bloody, violent content of the film. |
| 2011 | Love and Other Drugs | Heavily censored due to the strong sexual content in the film. An alternative theatrical release poster is used for advertisement in Malaysia instead of the poster used in US. |
| 2011 | Limitless | Partially censored due to some sex scenes in the film. |
| 2011 | A Chinese Ghost Story | Partially censored due to the mild sex scene in the film. |
| 2011 | Bridesmaids | According to Cinema Online, this film is apparently banned in Malaysia. However, the film is still heavily censored although it passed the censorship board afterward. |
| 2011 | Wu Xia | Partially censored due to the frightening and fighting scenes. |
| 2011 | The Hangover 2 | Partially censored due to the sexual and nudity content in the film. |
| 2011 | Blitz | Partially censored due to sexual content. Audio is only available in analog optical stereo. |
| 2011 | The Loan Shark | Some of the sex and violence scenes are censored in this local production film. |
| 2011 | Glee The 3D Concert Movie | Some of the scenes are censored to match PG-13 rating standard of Malaysia. |
| 2011 | Horrible Bosses | Heavily censored due to the strong sexual content and language used in the film. |
| 2011 | Conan the Barbarian | Partially censored due to some sexuality and nudity content in the film. Violent portions of the film are intact. Suggestive lines are not subtitled. |
| 2011 | Final Destination 5 | Partially censored due to brutal violence. |
| 2011 | Colombiana | Partially censored due to sexual content and brutal violence. |
| 2011 | Fright Night | Partially censored due to profanity, sexual and brutal violence content in the film. |
| 2011 | City on Fire (2011 film) | Partially censored due to some sexual content. |
| 2011 | Contagion | Partially censored to meet rating standard of Malaysia. (Censorship board sticker on optical disc cover states LDP (passed w/ cuts)) |
| 2011 | Killer Elite | Partially censored due to profanity, brutal violence, and some nudity and sexual content. |
| 2011 | Paranormal Activity 3 | Partially censored to meet the standard of PG-13 in Malaysia. |
| 2011 | You Are the Apple of My Eye | Partially censored due to some sexual and nudity content. |
| 2011 | Immortals | Heavily censored due to some sexual and strong violence content. Imported Blu-rays of the film were eventually allowed to be sold. |
| 2011 | 50/50 | Partially censored due to some sexual content and the strong language used. |
| 2011 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 | Heavily censored due to some sexual content in the film to meet the standard of PG13 in Malaysia. |
| 2011 | The Darkest Hour | Partially censored due to profanity. |
| 2012 | Underworld: Awakening | Partially censored due to the strong violence content. |
| 2012 | The Grey | Very heavily censored for 24 minutes due to brutal violence, profanity and highly sensitive material. |
| 2012 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Heavily censored due to the strong sexual and violence content. However, the film distributor decided not to bring this film into Malaysia afterwards. |
| 2012 | Battleship | Partially censored due to profanity. |
| 2012 | This Means War | Partially censored due to sexual content. |
| 2012 | Titanic | Scenes involving nudity, notably the portrait drawing act, are replaced or deliberately slowed down to exclude the nude portions while the sex scene in the cargo hold is removed. A clear instance of the F-word is muted. These edits allow the film to be rated U. |
| 2012 | The Cabin in the Woods | Partially censored due to strong violence content. |
| 2012 | Twisted Love | The director of this film said 10 scenes were removed from Malaysia cinema version by the local censorship board.[4] |
| 2012 | What To Expect When You're Expecting | Despite the fact that this film is rated 18 in Malaysia, some sexual content are still being cut off from the film. |
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | Partially censored due to sexual content. |
| 2012 | Piranha 3DD | Despite the rating of 18, the film is still heavily censored for its strong sexual and violence content. |
- *3D format is not available in Malaysia due to high expenses of having the studio produce an edited version of the film for Malaysian screenings.[5]
Should the Board insist that the film be released censored even on optical media, the film is released on (subbed) VCDs and stripped down DVDs containing local distributor logos and even the Censorship Board's approval number printed on the back cover (unlike stickers used for films passed without cuts). All foreign-language audio tracks are removed and only the English (usually left intact), Malay and Mandarin subtitle tracks are available. Special features might be stripped out as well. The resulting product is thus priced significantly cheaper than import DVDs and can be easily identified.
Blu-ray releases of censored films are not available in Malaysia. Such items have to be purchased from overseas and can be subject to random Custom's inspection, which will require an Application for Permit Exemption (Pemohonan Pengecualian Permit) letter to be submitted and approved.
See also
References
- ^
"Sex video case: Datuk T trio fined for showing obscene film (Updated)". The Star Online. Malaysia. 2010-06-24. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
[...] fined RM3,000 [...] and RM1,500 [...] respectively, for openly displaying an obscene film at Carcosa Seri Negara on March 21 [, 2010].
- ^
"GSC to explain screening of uncut version of "Aire Libre"". The Star Online. Malaysia. 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
Golden Screen Cinema Sdn Bhd (GSC) and the distributor of Aire Libre have been asked to explain why the film was screened to the public without cuts.
- ^
"TV3 Mohon Maaf Kesilapan Penyiaran Adegan Bogel Emile Hirsch". Harian Metro Online (in Malay). Malaysia. 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
Stesen televisyen TV3 pada Selasa memohon maaf kepada penonton negara ini terhadap penyiaran adegan kurang sopan dalam filem Into The Wild yang disiarkan menerusi saluran itu pada 24 Mac lalu.
- ^ China Press (2012-05-03). ""Twisted Love" had been awarded "The Best Film" in Motor City Nightmares Film Fest (Chinese)". China Press. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
The director said 10 scenes from the film were removed during its screening in Malaysia cinemas.
- ^
Lai Swee Wei (2010-09-09). "Censorship issues uncensored". Retrieved 2011-08-12.
I've initially decided not to release "Piranha" in 3D. Looking at the genre of the title, we were expecting some cuts. When there are cuts, the biggest problem we face would have to be sending it back to the U.S. for editing. When it goes back to the U.S., the cost does not support it and the time frame of post production to bring it in was not sufficient. That was why 3D didn't make it for "Piranha".
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